No Rest For The Wizard
by The Forgotten Nobody
Summary: "I'm a Malfoy and you're Harry Potter," Draco says, as if Harry hasn't been aware of his name this whole time. "It makes logical sense that you and I should be friends. Think of the power we could wield together. Why, we could have the whole school under our thumbs!" "I'm good, thanks. I just really, really, want to take a nap."


_On Tumblr I asked for some Drarry prompts. Anon suggested a train AU where person A's head falls on person B's. I'm pretty sure they wanted a proper AU where they are adults but I couldn't resist writing lil Harry and Draco._

* * *

Despite his best efforts to get to sleep, excitement from the prospect of finally going to Hogwarts keeps Harry awake long into the early hours of the morning and so it's with heavy eyes and over-tiredness pumping adrenaline through him that he makes his way into Kings Cross Station. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise, however, because without his sluggish movements he might have missed witnessing a parent and child walk through what Harry had naturally assumed was just solid brick. Rolling his trolley past the narrow-eyed attendant, Harry lingers by the wall to keep watch. His suspicions are confirmed when a large red-headed family all vanish through it as if…well, as if by magic.

Exhaustion leaving him without the energy to worry if he's about to make a huge mistake, Harry waits for the crowd to thin a little before lining himself up with the wall. He takes a deep breath and before his brain wakes enough to register how ridiculous this is, he rushes forwards, bracing himself for an impact that never comes. No, instead Harry finds himself on a new platform. Platform 9 ¾.

"Brilliant," Harry whispers, eyes running over the shining crimson train, the people in robes just like the ones he'd seen in Diagon Alley and the kids who are presumably his new classmates. Despite his excitement growing ten-fold, a yawn escapes Harry's lips and he decides he probably ought to get on the train and have a quick nap. He doesn't want to risk missing anything when he actually gets to Hogwarts.

Harry clambers onto the train and enters the first empty compartment he finds. He intends to take a kip straight away, he's certainly tired enough, but barely has he shut his eyes when the door slides open. Harry blinks in surprise when he realises who it is. The pale boy he'd met in Madam Malkins.

"I know who you are," is the first thing the boy says, indignation colouring his tone. "Why didn't you tell me you're Harry Potter?"

Harry's too tired for this but he also doesn't want to come across rude and try to get the boy to leave.

At least, not yet.

"Well, you didn't introduce yourself either," Harry replies.

The boy's nose lifts. "My name is Draco. Draco Malfoy." He sticks out a hand and Harry quickly decides the easiest course of action is just to shake it. "You and I should be friends, you know."

Unease swirls around Harry's gut. Once again, Draco is reminding Harry of Dudley, just with an even posher accent.

"Should we?"

"I'm a Malfoy and you're _Harry Potter_ ," Draco says, as if Harry hasn't been aware of his name this whole time. "It makes logical sense that you and I should be friends. Think of the power we could wield together. Why, we could have the whole school under our thumbs!"

Okay, that's enough. All Harry wanted to do was sleep and now Draco is going on about taking over the school? This is too much.

"I'm good, thanks. I just really, really, want to take a nap."

The scandalised expression on Draco's face cheers Harry up somewhat. "I don't know what to start with, the fact you clearly need to sort out your priorities or the fact you want to _sleep_ when we're going to Hogwarts! Hogwarts!"

The last statement is probably the first time Draco has sounded like an actual child and it makes Harry's lips twitch.

"I was so excited last night that I couldn't fall asleep. I wanted to take a nap now so I wouldn't be tired when we got there."

"Well, that makes sense I suppose," Draco huffs. "Next time I suggest using a calming drought. I'm fairly certain my mother put one in my hot chocolate last night."

Draco's cheeks suddenly flush as if embarrassed to what he's admitted to and Harry laughs. "I'm not sure what a calming draught is but I'll try to remember."

"Oh, that's right. You were raised by muggles, weren't you?" A small sneer appears on his face, quickly replaced by an expression of seriousness. "That means you don't know anything, do you? Wait here, I'm sure someone has a Pepper-Up. That should work. Harry Potter cannot go into Hogwarts ignorant. Hold on."

Bemused, Harry watches as Draco flies out of the compartment. Once again, he's almost fallen asleep only to be rudely brought back as Draco returns, a strange bottle in his hand.

"Drink this, it should give you enough energy to listen to everything I need to tell you. Normally it's meant for when you have a cold but I'm sure it'll do the trick."

Harry knows other people's parents normally tell them not to take strange foods and drinks from strangers (or strange, power-hungry boys) but Aunt Petunia never told him anything of the sort and he's fairly certain that if he refuses, Draco will force the red liquid down his throat himself. With perhaps less caution than he ought to have, Harry uncorks the bottle and takes a swig of the drink.

He has to admit, the burning sensation and the feeling of steam coming out of his ears definitely makes him more alert. Draco nods approvingly.

"Now, I think we ought to start with the Houses. There are four in total, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Slytherin is by far the superior of the houses, did you know that Salazar Slytherin…"

Over the next hour, Harry gets the most condensed history lesson of all time. As much as he isn't sure he approves of everything Draco says, he has to admit the other boy makes a good teacher. By the time he's told Harry 'enough that he won't make an absolute fool of himself', he feels he's learnt more in that hour than he did that day with Hagrid. It also becomes clear that perhaps this 'Pepper-up' potion isn't really all that good for keeping him awake because if anything, he feels even more exhausted than he had at the beginning. Harry feels his eyes start to droop and before he knows it, he's out like a light.

When he wakes up, he discovers that his head has fallen on Draco's shoulders. There's a patch of drool on his jumper but apart from a resigned sigh, Draco doesn't mention it, just suggests they ought to get in their robes before they reach the school. It's then that Harry considers that maybe Draco isn't all that bad.

Maybe Slytherin isn't either.

* * *

 _Harry goes on to be put in Slytherin, becomes friends with some Slytherins, gets them to sort out their own priorities and eventually gets together with Draco. One day I would love to write a multi-chapter fic where this happens, but today is not that day._

 _I hope you liked it! If you did, consider leaving a review :)_


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